A Future for Policing in England and Wales

Timothy Brain

Examines major police reform proposals, including the Winsor Report, the Comprehensive Spending Review and the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act, and analyses what these changes mean for the future of policing in England and Wales

Written by the former Chief Constable of Gloucestershire Police, with over 30 years' policing experience

Follows on from the author's previous work, A History of Policing in England and Wales which charted the history of modern policing since the establishment of the tri-partite system in 1964 through to 2010

A Future for Policing in England and Wales

Timothy Brain

Description

Encapsulating new policing developments under the Coalition, A Future for Policing in England and Wales examines the major reform proposals and reports brought in since May 2010, including the Winsor Report and the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review, and analyses what these changes mean for the future of policing in England and Wales.

In the 1990s and 2000s the Police Service in England and Wales underwent profound change which saw massive increases in resources accompanied by increased centralism, a more business-like approach, and the proliferation of national objectives, targets and strategic plans. The Coalition Government signalled a radical shift away from that political consensus towards fewer numbers, a significant reduction in resources, decentralisation, and the creation of locally elected crime commissioners. This book argues that, as a consequence of this, British society and politics are entering a difficult and complex future, featuring a return to some aspects the social tension and disorder which characterised the 1970s and 1980s, and that the Police Service is currently ill-structured to adapt to the changes.

Drawing on the author's own experience as a chief constable and his continuing experience as a police historian and analyst of contemporary police affairs, A Future for Policing will be of interest to senior police officers and policing academics, as well as those involved in leadership and other personal development programmes. It will also be of interest to policymakers and historians.

A Future for Policing in England and Wales

Timothy Brain

Table of Contents

1: Policing 2010: Labour's legacy 2: 'The Big Society': Conservative Political Philosophy and its Implications for Policing 3: Where Did it Go Wrong? The Police and the Conservatives 4: Armageddon or Necessary Readjustment: Police Finances and the Coalition 5: Reform or Politicization? The Coalition and Police Constitutional Change 6: The New Police Landscape: Pay, Conditions and Pensions 7: The New Police Landscape: Organization 8: The Policing Environment: Politics, Society, Economics and their Implications for Policing 9: Operational Policing: Crime, Antisocial Behaviour, Disorder and Confidence 10: A Future for Policing?

A Future for Policing in England and Wales

Timothy Brain

Author Information

Timothy Brain, Former Chief Constable, Gloucestershire Police

Dr Timothy Brain was Chief Constable of Gloucestershire from 2001 until his retirement in January 2010, having previously served in Avon and Somerset, Hampshire and the West Midlands. He was awarded the Queen's Police Medal in 2002 and the OBE in 2008. He was national lead on police finances and led several high profile operations, notably Gloucestershire's response to the extensive flooding of 2007. A frequent speaker and broadcaster on a variety of police subjects including police futures, strategic leadership, finance, and police history, he is also a Visiting Professor at the University of Gloucestershire and holds honorary fellowships at Cardiff and Aberystwyth universities. His previous book, A History of Policing in England and Wales from 1974, was published by Oxford University Press in 2010.

A Future for Policing in England and Wales

Timothy Brain

Reviews and Awards

"There is much to be gained from a close reading of Brain's book, not least a deeper understanding of the contours of recent developments in policing in recent decades. As a former chief constable with academic credentials, Brain writes with authority and insider status. The certainty that characterises many senior police officers is evident, balanced with academic rigour and good style. The book, I predict, will be valued as much as a history and analysis of the present as a forecast of possible futures." - Rob C. Mawby, The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice